Can a dog see colors?
The relationship between light and vision is crucial in color perception. The elements surrounding us do not have colors themselves. Light is needed to see colors. A photon of light, which triggers chemical and electrical reactions in the stimulated receptors of the retina and cerebral cortex, creates a subjective image. Color discrimination is possible thanks to approximately 130 million receptors (cones and rods) located on the retina.
Contrary to popular theory, dogs are not colorblind. In fact, they are characterized by dichromatism, i.e. color recognition disorder. Due to the lack of one of the three types of cones in the retina, they can only perceive two color spectrums. Color perception in humans is broader - we see three color spectrums. Dogs see colors in the blue-violet and yellow-green ranges. Therefore, they lack the perception of the red color spectrum. A dog's eyesight confuses the color red, among others. with shades of dark gray, while perfectly perceiving blue and yellow things.
What field of vision does a dog have?
Due to the slightly lateral positioning of the eyes in the skull, dogs have a significantly larger field of vision than humans. Their field of view is about 240 degrees (sometimes even 270 degrees), while humans' field of view is only about 180 degrees. So a dog can see about half as wide as a human, and therefore sees things out of the corner of its eye that humans cannot see. For this reason, it is not necessarily the sound or smell that attracts the pet's attention, sometimes it is something that we simply did not notice.
How does a dog see in the dark?
Good vision in the dark and a sense of movement are extremely important for the predator from which the domestic dog descends. Today, this ability helps a dog recognize and respond to danger after dark. But this is simply because your four-legged friend's eyes are equipped with a huge number of photoreceptors that are responsible for seeing in low light. Moreover, located behind the retina, the so-called reflective tapestry, reflects light and redirects light rays to the retina, thanks to which the receptors react much more strongly. In practice, this means that the dog's eye captures much more photons than the human eye, which create a significantly brighter image.
Can a dog see ultraviolet light?
But perhaps the biggest difference in how dogs and humans perceive the world is that dogs, like many other animals, have the incredible ability to see ultraviolet light. UV radiation is shorter than visible radiation, therefore it is invisible to humans. Dogs, on the other hand, recognize things and see differences in surfaces and materials that we cannot see.
What does a dog see when looking at the TV screen?
Many people wonder: Can dogs watch TV? Research shows that four-legged friends can recognize and process images shown on television. However, they only respond to certain stimuli, for example when other animals are seen. They also recognize sounds such as barking, growling or squeaking toys. However, it is not known whether they are fans of nature programs or series? Generally speaking, television becomes interesting for a dog only when images that are interesting from his perspective appear on the screen. Some owners admit that their dogs watch TV for up to an hour a day. This means that they can become very absorbed in what they see on the screen, without even seeing all the colors. Maybe spending time together with a caregiver is more important to them than what's happening on the screen.
How does a dog see? – interesting and worth knowing
In 1989, a report entitled "Color Vision in Dogs" was published, based on the in-depth research of the scientific team of Jay Neitz, Timothy Geist and Gerald H. Jacobs from the University of California in the USA. Scientists have proven that dogs see the world completely differently than previously thought. They discovered what four-legged friends' vision in blue and yellow means in practice, i.e. a dog sees purple as dark blue and orange as dark yellow.
Color therapy has been used in humans for decades. But certain colors also have a specific effect on your four-legged friends, especially in the behavioral sphere. For example, orange light has a calming effect on hyperactive dogs and helps release emotional blockages.
On the other hand, light blue is especially effective for listless pets because this color awakens the spirit of adventure and encourages them to try something new.
Research shows that many dogs have trouble seeing objects from a distance, i.e. they suffer from myopia. However, there are breeds, including: retrievers, which are famous for their better distance vision. Specific vision defects, such as farsightedness or myopia, depend on the breed, age and individual predispositions of the dog.
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